Cash-Strapped Hong Kong Arts Hub Saved—Plus a Rundown of the Latest in Asia’s Art World
Hong Kong's financially struggling West Kowloon Cultural District, a major arts hub, has been rescued from its cash crisis. This development was part of a broader Asia art world update that also included leadership changes at Japan's Art Collaboration Kyoto and the announcement of a new art fair in Shenzhen.
Belgium plans to revoke the museum status of Antwerp's Museum of Contemporary Art (M HKA) and transfer its 8,000-work collection to Ghent's Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art (Smak), canceling a promised $93 million new building. The proposal by Flemish culture minister Caroline Gennez has sparked resignations, legal challenges, and backlash from artists including Luc Tuymans and Anish Kapoor, who call it unlawful and a threat to cultural independence. A parliamentary hearing is expected in January 2026.
The Flemish government in Belgium has reversed its controversial plan to dismantle Antwerp's Museum of Contemporary Art (M HKA). The original proposal would have stripped the museum of its status and transferred its permanent collection to another institution in Ghent, but following significant opposition, authorities have agreed to preserve M HKA as a museum with its collection intact.
The Flemish government's plan to dissolve M HKA, a contemporary art institution in Antwerp, has been met with legal opposition after the museum initiated a legal review that claims the move would be illegal. The review, presented to the press on Tuesday with artists Luc Tuymans and Otobong Nkanga in attendance, argues that the government's proposal—which would close M HKA, transfer its collection to Ghent, and rebrand S.M.A.K. as the Flemish Museum of Contemporary and Current Art by 2028—contains "flagrant illegalities." The plan has drawn widespread condemnation from museum directors and artists, including Anish Kapoor, who demanded the removal of his work from M HKA's website.
A group of arts professionals, including art historian Konstantin Akinsha and Francesca Thyssen Bornemisza, has published an open letter in Le Monde calling for the International Council of Museums (ICOM) to expel Russia for violating its code of ethics. The group threatens to take ICOM to court in France if it fails to act, citing Russia's systematic erasure of Ukraine's cultural identity since the 2022 invasion, including looting of museum collections and destruction of cultural sites documented by UNESCO. Signatories demand the exclusion of ICOM Russia and Russian museum staff involved in looting, and seek either negotiation or legal proceedings in a French court.
At least 34 Members of the European Parliament have signed a letter demanding the suspension of all EU funding to the Venice Biennale Foundation if Russia's participation proceeds. The letter, addressed to top EU officials, argues that allowing a state under extensive sanctions to participate in an EU-funded event contradicts the bloc's values and weakens its credibility.
Berlin's Senator for Culture, Sarah Wedl-Wilson, has resigned after less than a year in office, following a damning report from the Berlin Court of Audit. The report found that the allocation of €2.6 million in funding for 13 projects aimed at combating antisemitism was 'evidently unlawful,' citing a lack of proper criteria, arbitrary project selection, and violations of budget regulations. Wedl-Wilson stated she stepped down to prevent damage to the fight against antisemitism, and Governing Mayor Kai Wegner accepted her resignation, vowing to reform the funding system. The opposition has accused CDU politicians of exerting improper influence to push through the projects.
Indigenous Brazilian leader Ninawa Huni Kui has condemned the Science Museum in London for accepting sponsorship from BP on the eve of its new exhibition, *Water, Pantanal, Fire*, which highlights climate breakdown in Latin America. The exhibition focuses on the Pantanal wetland, a threatened ecosystem spanning Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. Huni Kui called BP's sponsorship "dirty funds stained with blood," and was joined by activists from 350.org and Culture Unstained in criticizing the museum for partnering with a major fossil fuel company while presenting a show about climate impacts.